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Water pollution is the release of substances into bodies of water that makes water unsafe for human use and disrupts aquatic ecosystems. Water pollution can be caused by a plethora of different contaminants, including toxic waste, petroleum, and disease-causing microorganisms.
Just like air, water is under assault from numerous types of pollution. For centuries, humans unknowingly contaminated sources of drinking water with raw sewage, which led to diseases such...
Air pollution, release into the atmosphere of various gases, finely divided solids, or finely dispersed liquid aerosols at rates that exceed the natural capacity of the environment to dissipate and dilute or absorb them. High concentrations can cause undesirable health, economic, or aesthetic effects.
Air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. WHO data shows that 9 out of 10 people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants. WHO is working with countries to monitor air pollution and improve air quality.
Nutrient pollution, caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in water or air, is the number-one threat to water quality worldwide and can cause algal blooms, a toxic soup of blue-green algae...
Despite the dramatic progress to date, air pollution continues to threaten Americans’ health and welfare. The main obstacles are climate change, conventional air pollution, and ozone layer depletion.
This section focuses on exposure to polluted air across five issues and indicators: outdoor air pollution, stationary sources of pollution, mobile sources of pollution, solid waste facilities, and indoor air quality.
Thermal pollution is the addition of heat to a cool environment, and it is caused by water or air used as cooling fluids in power plants and manufacturing that becomes heated in the process. Heated cooling water from power plants may be 15 ˚C (27 ˚F) hotter than lake or stream water, which increases metabolic rates in fishes and reduces the ...
Air pollution is a mix of particles and gases that can reach harmful concentrations both outside and indoors. Its effects can range from higher disease risks to rising temperatures. Soot,...
Pollutants are harmful solids, liquids, or gases produced in higher than usual concentrations that reduce the quality of our environment. Human activities have an adverse effect on the environment by polluting the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the soil in which plants grow.